56 American Quarterly Microscopical Journal. 



tributors, the men who do the work and benefit science by 

 hard and exhaustive mental labor, but from the larger num- 

 ber of those who read and enjoy the results of this labor, 

 and who have means to spare. 



It would not be a pleasant task to recount the numerous 

 ventures in the field of scientific literature in this country 

 which have proved financial failures. 



Many who read these lines will remember the Lens, pub- 

 lished in Chicago by the State Microscopical Society of 

 Illinois. One can scarcely speak to a microscopist, who was 

 familiar with the Lens, about its sudden demise, without call- 

 ing forth an eulogy of that journal, and regrets that it did 

 not continue to be published. And yet the Lens, recognized 

 so universally as a valuable and well conducted journal, 

 failed. Why ? Because it did not receive the financial sup- 

 port from some of the very ones who are now ready 

 to speak so well of it. It does not cost such a very 

 large sum to publish a journal as many seem to be- 

 lieve ; a very moderate number of subscribers will make a 

 really good one self-supporting, and we have made one more 

 venture, not expecting a great financial success, but believ- 

 ing that there is a large field of usefulness for it, and that 

 our humble efforts, if well directed, will enable us to do 

 something to benefit science. 



We make the venture in the face of the facts already 

 stated, and trust that the time has come when there will 

 be seen a change from the old fashion. 



We point to our list of contributors with pride, but it 

 should be remembered that, while a journal must have con- 

 tributors it must also have subscribers. 



It is a mistake to suppose that any number of the best men 

 in the world, as contributors, will make a journal a success. A 

 vast amount of original work is going on in this country, which 

 has been laid aside for want of means on the part of the authors 

 to publish or prepare suitable illustrations, and also for the 

 lack of a suitable journal for the purpose. 



We have asked just thirty-two prominent men, known to 

 the world as original investigators in science, if they would 

 contribute to our columns. Out of these only five have de- 

 clined ; one, without offering any reason whatever, another 

 for lack of time, another from ill health, another because of 



